Cyber security specialist Kaspersky Lab this week issued a warning to users of online banking facilities to beware of a new banking Trojan called Neverquest.

Kaspersky Lab researchers say they have recorded "several thousand attempts to infect" computers used for online banking with the Neverquest Trojan, which, according to its creators, can attack "any bank in any country". Since its discovery last year, some cyber security experts have labeled the malware more dangerous than the notorious ZeuS banking Trojan.

The Neverquest Trojan banker is said to support "just about every possible trick" available for getting around online banking security layers, including Web injection, remote system access and social engineering. Kaspersky Lab is predicting "a sharp rise" in the number of attacks involving Neverquest, resulting in widespread financial losses.

Kaspersky Lab noted that the holiday period in particular is a period of high malicious user activity with experts reporting instances as early as November where posts were made in hacker forums about buying and selling databases to access bank accounts and other documents used to open and manage the accounts to which stolen funds are sent. Neverquest appeared on the market even earlier - an advert looking for a partner to work with the Trojan on the servers of a group of cybercriminals, with their support, was posted in July of this year.

"After wrapping up several criminal cases associated with the creation and proliferation of malware used to steal bank website data, a few ‘holes' appeared on the black market," said Sergey Golovanov, principal security researcher, Kaspersky Lab.

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"New malicious users are trying to fill these with new technologies and ideas. Neverquest is just one of the threats aiming to take over the leading positions previously held by programs like ZeuS and Carberp."

Neverquest steals usernames and passwords to bank accounts as well as all the data entered by the user into the modified pages of a banking website. Special scripts for Internet Explorer and Firefox are used to facilitate these thefts, giving the malware control of the browser connection with the cybercriminal's command server when visiting 28 sites on the list, including those of German, Italian, Turkish and Indian banks, as well as payment systems. Another function helps the malicious users replenish their list of targeted banks and develop code to be seeded on new websites that were previously not on the target list.

Of all of the sites targeted by this particular program, an investment fund appears to be the top target. Its website offers clients a long list of ways to manage their finances online. This gives malicious users the chance to not only transfer cash funds to their own accounts but also to play the stock market, using the accounts and the money of Neverquest victims.

After gaining access to a user's account with an online banking system, cybercriminals conduct transactions and wire money from the user to their own accounts or - to keep the trail from leading directly to them - to the accounts of other victims.

Protection against threats such as Neverquest requires more than just standard antivirus; users need a dedicated solution that secures transactions. In particular, the solution must be able to control a running browser process and prevent any manipulation by other applications.